Article

Port Mann Bridge opens

The new Port Mann Bridge in Metro Vancouver has officially opened to eight lanes of traffic.

The new Port Mann Bridge in Metro Vancouver has officially opened to eight lanes of traffic.

Premier Christy Clark recently made the announcement about the largest transportation project in B.C. history.

“As we officially open the Port Mann Bridge we are eliminating one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in British Columbia,” she said.

The announcement marks the culmination of almost four years of bridge and highway construction.

The new cable-stay bridge has been recognized as the widest bridge in the world by the Guinness Book of World records and it is the largest and longest main span river crossing in Western Canada.

“It’s a day almost a decade in the making, from the first consultation to the final line painting, and I want to thank everyone who has laboured on this project,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Mary Polak.

Car-poolers and HOV users can use new on and off ramps and dedicated HOV lanes from Langley to Vancouver. The Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Project includes 37 kilometres of highway, interchange and off ramp upgrades. Construction will continue through 2013.

Crews will keep working to complete the bridge to its full 10-lane capacity and continue highway widening and interchange improvements through Coquitlam, Burnaby and Vancouver.

The final two lanes of the bridge will open to traffic once portions of the old bridge have been removed.

The main span is supported by 288 cables. The foundations required the use of the largest capacity piles (up to 5,000 tonnes capacity) in Canada. The bridge used 157,000 cubic meters of concrete, 28,000 tonnes of rebar, 13,000 tonnes of structural steel and 25,000 tonnes of asphalt for the deck. Peter Kiewit Sons Co. and Flatiron Constructors Canada Limited were awarded a $2.46 billion fixed-price contract to design and build the project.